


Like a Horse to Water

by Everyone_Every_Ever



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Animal Death, Camping, Cliche, Fluff, Horse Jokes, Horse Racing, Horseback Riding, Horses, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23878672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everyone_Every_Ever/pseuds/Everyone_Every_Ever
Summary: Raihan's rarely been out of the city. His work as an influencer is plenty to keep him busy, and the fast-paced London lifestyle in more than enough for him.But when his grandfather passes away and leaves his stable to Raihan, he's forced from his comfortable life, and into a world he doesn't understand.Can a scared racehorse and a stablehand with a history change his mind on the countryside? Or will Hammerlocke stables be forced to close?
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Like a Horse to Water

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title from Horse To Water by Tall Heights.
> 
> This fic is essentially a cliche horse movie in fic format, plus angst and SwSh. 
> 
> It was lots of fun to write, and I hope it's just as fun to read!
> 
> (Gonna try to make later chapters longer, if I can.)

As the taxi pulled into a bumpy gravel driveway, Raihan’s eyes were pulled from his phone, and he looked in some combination of irritation and awe onto swathes of green pastures, dotted with horses, which almost looked like children’s toys as they grazed in the distance. A large, red stable came into view next, growing larger the closer they got. In the pasture to the right of the driveway, a brown horse ran up to the car and neighed, like it was welcoming Raihan to the farm. 

People came here for the fresh air, right? May as well embrace it, he thought, as he rolled down the window and took a deep breath. 

And immediately was hit with a strong scent of mud, grass, country air, and manure.

He scrunched up his nose, rolled his eyes, and turned back to his phone, sending a text to Nessa and Piers.

_sos. it smells weird here._

_…_

**_Message failed to send. Retry?_ **

He clicked retry. 

**_Message failed to send. Retry?_ **

With a huff, he threw his hands in the air and put the phone in the pocket of his hoodie, just as the taxi pulled to a stop. 

“We’re here!” the driver said, as chipper as he’d been at the beginning of the drive. 

Raihan paid the guy, leaving a generous tip, and stepped out. 

It was pretty, definitely, in a quaint sort of way. The smell wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it was cute. The cherry red paint was peeling, giving way to warped grey-brown, and the gutters had a fair bit of rust coating them.

“Hello?” he called into the building, slowly walking inside. He was only greeted by a whinny, a few rustling noises from the horses in the stalls, and a few heads poking out of some of the stalls. “Hello! Is anyone here!” 

“Right in here,” came a voice from one of the stalls, where a large, reddish horse resided. 

Raihan peered into the stall, and, seeing no humans, reluctantly held out his hand to the horse. “Please tell me horses here don’t talk,” he muttered to the animal, then yelped and pulled his hand back as it moved to nudge him.

“What the- no, the horses don’t talk!” 

A purple head popped up from under the horse, startling Raihan backwards. He yelped in surprise, eyes wide. “Where the fuck did you come from-?” 

The man leaned on the stall door, hoisting himself up so he was seated on the edge. “I was picking Jax’s hooves. You’re Raihan, right?”

A baffled expression crossed Raihan’s face. “... How did you know that?!”

“Because everyone who works here got an email about the new owner? So did the vet, but I don’t think she cares as much.” He held out a hand. “I’m Leon. This is AppleJax behind me.” The horse tossed his head, then placed it on Leon’s shoulder. Hot breath ruffled fluffy purple hair and spilled to Raihan’s face, making him cringe subtly. 

Raihan took the hand, shaking it firmly. He could feel the callouses, rough against Raihan’s smooth fingers, belaying hundreds and thousands of hours of hard work “So- uh. First of all, do you have internet here? I have- work.”

Leon shook his head, and a cold pang of anxiety ran through Raihan. “No WiFi on the farm. The farmhouse may have it, but your grandfather was a bit old fashioned. All the paperwork is, well, on paper.” 

Getting a bit desperate, Raihan asked, “So, could you maybe show me around the place? Introduce me to, uh… Everyone here? Or… The horses?”

The guy perked up, a big smile plastered across his face. “Yeah, of course! First the stable, then we can take a horseback ride around the whole property.” 

As soon as Raihan nodded, Leon started the tour. “This is Jamba Juice. He likes stealing carrots, and he’s a pretty easy ride. And Ginger, who’s a little bit feisty but generally sweet, she just hates people who squeeze and tug, Plantains, he generally doesn’t give a shit about anything at all, Sugar Pie, also known as Big Easy, Sweet Pea, Sweet _Tea-_ they’re sisters, and they ride well together, but they’re stubborn when they’re alone, Banger, who’s never been ridden yet cause he’s not even a year old, Wendy, Banger’s mum, Ruffian, who I’ll just let you guess on, Barbie, our high maintenance little Shetland, and Big Ben, who’s Barbie’s best friend and also a Clydsdale. Oh, and Chicken! She likes to pretend she’s scared of everything, but she isn’t.” 

By the end, Raihan was barely listening. It wasn’t that he wasn’t _trying_ \- he was! But he would be out of the place by the following Sunday. He didn’t really need to know all of the names. Right? He just wanted to lay down, see if Nessa had texted him back. Or if his text had been sent, period. And to get away from the overwhelming scent of sweaty horses and literal shit. 

  
  
  
  


With an overdramatic flourish, Leon opened a cream-colored door and stepped inside, flicking on the light switch with the same motion. “This is the tack room! So, we gotta get you some tack, then we can take a tour of the property. English or Western?”

The room was filled with a wall of saddles, helmets, halters, bridles, and things Raihan didn’t really know the name for. Raihan stammered for a moment. “Uh- cowb- uh! I’ll do Western!” Then, thinking quickly, he added, “That’s what I always do!” 

Leon picked up a smooth, polished black saddle, a saddle pad, and a few other pieces of tack, then nodded towards a sturdy looking walnut-colored saddle. “Grab that one. I got the rest of your tack.” 

Raihan went to pick it up, almost dropping it on his foot from how heavy it was- surprisingly so. But he managed, and followed Leon to a hallway that lead out to a field. Where Leon set his saddle down, Raihan set his down as well, then looked at the man for further cues. 

“Just wait here. I’ll get Jax set up, then I’ll bring your horse to you, okay?” As soon as Raihan nodded, Leon grabbed his tack back up, and rushed off to his horse’s stall, coming back not five minutes later leading both his own gorgeous stallion and…

Leon had to be joking. The other horse was a fat, sleepy-looking thing, brown fur only broken by its tan mane. “This is Sugar Pie, if you don’t remember. Need help getting her saddled up?”

Raihan shook his head. He could figure it out. Leon did it in no time, so he could get it too, right? 

Step one- pet the horse. Easy enough. He lifted one hand, gently touching her face. Her nose was soft- like warm, living velvet. Then, as quickly as he put his hand there, she had jerked her head, instead choosing to lip at his fingers. He yanked them back, and proceeded onto step two- put the saddle on the horse

He draped the blanket over her back, then, with a fair bit of effort, the saddle. Once that was set, he took the strap that Leon handed to him. There were two buckles on the sides of the saddle. Easy enough. He strapped it around her belly, making sure to leave enough room for the horse to breathe. When he turned around, the horse already had reins on, the bit firmly in her mouth. 

“You ready?” Leon asked, already on AppleJax. Raihan nodded, stepped onto the stirrups to pull himself up…

And immediately fell over as the saddle slid sideways. Leon gasped, nearly leaping off his horse to check. “Oh my fucking- are you alright?” He checked over Raihan, concern blooming in his golden eyes. Raihan nodded, and let Leon pull him to his feet. “She loosened it, didn’t she! Sugar, you’re supposed to be nice and easy!” With that, he went over to the mildly disgruntled horse, righted the saddle, and tightened the band. Instead of leaving room to breathe, as Raihan did, he kneed the horse in the gut, making her exhale, and tightened it further. “She’s always been a fan of inhaling to get it loose. Not on you, really.” 

Pride mildly injured, Raihan tried again, nervous this time. Luckily, it stayed in place, and he managed to sit down properly. “Okay. Uh- lead the way!”

In one fluid motion, Leon climbed back onto Jax, clicked his tongue, and walked out of the stable. Raihan copied him, keeping his back as straight as he could. Luckily, Leon still seemed to have no clue Raihan had never ridden a horse! It was just as easy as he thought- sit on horse, move horse, profit. 

AppleJax slowed as they got about a hundred feet from the building, falling into step with Sugar Pie. “So. You ride before, then?” 

Raihan nodded. “Uhhhhhf course! Ha, my grandpa owned a stable, and you don’t think I’ve ever ridden a horse? Psh.” 

As Leon became noticeably more cheery, a sinking feeling started in Raihan’s gut. “That’s great! Horses are great for people. I keep trying to get my brother on a horse, but he just wants to ride his lamb. Anyways- what was your favorite horse’s name?” 

Oh shit. Oh shit Raihan had _not_ planned this out. _Think, Raihan. Think._ “Uh, uh, um, her name was, uh-” _You can do this. Just a name._ “Her name was Winnie.” _Great, you blew it. You just said a noise a horse makes._

To his surprise, Leon laughed. Not a polite chuckle- a full bodied, eyes shut, face briefly buries against his horse’s mane, laugh. It was pretty cute, Raihan had to admit. “Oh, that’s great! So, whinny, like the noise, but like the bear, I take it?” 

Of course he had meant it like that. He wasn’t just saying things. Nope. “Yep! She was- she was great! And- what was yours?”

Leon’s face fell, and Raihan was convinced he was about to start crying. A pained squeak broke out of his throat, eyes shutting and shoulders hunched. Then the man blinked a few times and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “Doesn’t matter,” he stated, digging his heels in and getting back in front of Sugar Pie. “Let’s just go.”

So, that was odd. Raihan wasn’t imagining that, he was pretty sure. But he tucked it into the back of his mind, urging his horse to catch up with Leon’s. 

  
  
  


After what had to be at least an hour of riding in silence, first around the barn and the pastures, then out into a much further field, the horse in front of him stopped. They were in a meadow, dotted with apple trees and patches of wildflowers. Leon slipped off his horse, looping his reins around a curved rod stuck to a large tree. It was seemingly the only man made thing in the area- everything else was untouched, as far as he could see. 

Leon’s voice shocked him out of his observations. “Get off, and bring Sugar over here.” 

Raihan followed his instructions wordlessly, unsure if he would be snapped at for speaking. The entire ride over, every time Raihan tried to strike up a conversation, Leon would urge Jax to go faster. It hurt a bit- he’d only tried to engage Leon in conversation. 

“I’m sorry.”

Leon shook his head. “No- it’s nothing to apologize for. I don’t… really wanna talk about it, obviously, but it’s just…” 

“Bad memories?” Raihan guessed. The apologetic half-smile on Leon’s face told him what he needed to know on that. 

“Sorry.” 

The man hummed in acknowledgment, but didn't say anything further. A water bottle was offered, and he took it, sipping it silently as they both took in the landscape. It smelled nice here, Raihan noted. And it was stunning- green grass, trees, and beauty for miles around. He could see a few houses, some barns, and, in the distance, maybe a small town, but they were far enough away that he doubted even screaming would let the neighbors hear. 

After a moment, he checked his phone. Still no signal. He shrugged it off. Even if he didn't have signal, he could still take pictures for later, right? A few selfies, several snaps of the landscape, and one picture of the horses grazing later, he frowned. The pictures were dark, because- 

"I think the sun's gonna go down soon."

Leon glanced around, brow furrowed, then up. “Ah, shit- it’s gonna be dark by the time we get back. Raihan looked around as well, finally noting the lengthening shadows. “I’ll just take you to the farmhouse- It’s closer than the stables. There’s a couple stalls out back, so Sugar can stay there overnight, and we’ll take them back to the stable in the morning.” 

Once again in silence, they mounted their horses. This time, however, the silence was much more companionable, the tension from earlier melting away with the setting sun.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Stay safe! 
> 
> Tumblr: mothman-of-teslonia
> 
> (Note: I have not asked for criticism. Please do not give criticism unless I specifically ask you for it, which I will not. All rude comments and unwarrented critiques will be deleted, as this is a fun project in my spare time, and I am not an author by trade. Thank you!)


End file.
